Animal byproducts weren't something Holly Tashian wanted to smear on her face. But it was hard to get away from lanolin, a fatty substance secreted by sheep, which was in many of the cosmetics in her makeup bag.

"I began to realize what I was putting on my face, and it's pretty bad stuff," says Tashian, a Nashville, Tenn., musician and a feng shui consultant. "I've just gotten turned off about what is going on in the cosmetics industry."

To be certain of the products she was using, Tashian switched to organic makeup, swapping out her lipstick, mascara and eyeliner for those made by the Dr. Hauschka Skin Care brand. She's still using an old compact of blush powder just because she hates to waste anything but plans to go all-organic once that runs out.

"I want to look better, and, at this age, you see skin go through dramatic changes," says Tashian, 61. At the same time, she'd rather use products to improve her complexion.

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Tashian is part of a growing trend of women who are ditching compacts overloaded with chemicals and preservatives for those with natural and organic ingredients. Makers of natural cosmetics say their products contain plant, animal or mineral ingredients, not synthetics; organic makers say their ingredients are pesticide free.

These niche cosmetics are becoming increasingly popular as consumers look for products that are better for their skin and nicer to the planet.

Recently, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics announced it found potentially dangerous levels of lead in lipsticks, saying one-third of the 33 red lipsticks it examined contained an amount that exceeds the FDA's limit for lead in candy. The FDA, however, does not set a limit for lead in lipstick.

But what, exactly, are "organic" cosmetics?

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